Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: mullet on May 16, 2007, 09:26:22 pm
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Did anybody read the article in the new PA about backing a bow with buffalo hide.It seems to me if it's as thick as cow hide it would really slow a bow down.But then again ,if it was soaked in saltwater that would probally speed it up. ???
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Eddie? ? ? Did you miss the whole discussion 6 months ago when we talked about it? It got a little ugly. Might be worth looking up to read again. Justin
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A Duh,,I guess you havn't got your june/july issue yet?
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Nope that could be weeks. :'( But sounds like the same arguement. Except the last one had something to do with buffalo urine too. :-\ Justin
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More spirit that way.
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Please lets not do this again! Its a story, thats all !!!!! :o ;D....bob
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Not again! ::)
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you gotta be kidding me.... :o
bet that guy didn't do that to the buffalo more than once.... ;D ::)
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Mullet,
I step away for a bit, and you are right in there stirring crap....there"s only room for one of us.... :-*
Brian
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DejaVu ::)
DanaM
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:-X :-X :-X :-X :-X ;D
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Get some backbone and quit dodging the issue guys. :D Justin, 'ugly?' Is it 'ugly' when a pack of wolves takes down a Elk calf? Is it 'ugly' when flocks of seagulls devour endangered baby sea turtles? Hmmmm, come to think of it, it is. Let's dodge the issue.
J. D. Duff
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JD, there is a kind of beauty to those facets of nature, and a kind of beauty to derelict industrial sites, me thinks.
Longbow is a very cool name.
Dane
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Dane , do you drink suds ? DR. Alton Safford is called "Poppa Longbow'' LONG before Richard ! Hmmm! ??? ;) ;D.bob
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Dane , do you drink suds ?
Bob, Dane's a writer. If Walker Percy knew what he was talking about, I'd wager Dane's a Bourbon man. ;D
J. D. Duff
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Burp ! ;D..bob
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Dane , do you drink suds ?
Bob, Dane's a writer. If Walker Percy knew what he was talking about, I'd wager Dane's a Bourbon man. ;D
J. D. Duff
Kowechobe, I do drink beer and ale...prefer local microbrews and imports, however; Germany spoiled me on American beer.
LOL JD. I guess your mind has to be kind of twisty and strange to want to even write for a living, to be willing to put a lot out there that reveals who you are, and sometimes even some inner demons.
Bourbon is okay, however, I prefere vodka above all other hard stuff. Then, in this order, tequila (yes, straight), single malts, Irish whisky, bourbon (only if mixed), and vodka. The ultimate cocktails are cosmopolitans, vodka martinis, and margaritas on the rocks (quanto only, no triple seq!).
Seriously, I find old industrial sites...rusted gantrys, defunct oil tanks, overgrown factories, etc. very evocative and sometimes beautiful. the ghosts of those who have passed through and used the sites (and sometimes died there) is probably what most interests me in this kind of thing.
Now I'm thirsty. :)
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Dane,Come on down to Florida and hunt some pigs.I live in the heart of Phosphate mining country.It's slowly disappearing and there are numerous plants and small towns that are ghost places now.I've been working in the exploration and engineering part of it for 35 years.I know where all the old swimming holes,beer drinking trees and cemeteries,black and white ,back to the 1840's.Lot's of history and hogs.
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I can show you whats left of Mountville Ga. It was one of the first "western" towns in the state. Dates back to the days of Tomochichi, the great Creek chief. Found it by accident one day. And down the road a -piece, other side of the county, is the last remnant of a creek village...
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Mullet, it is an honor to be asked down to hunt some pork. Maybe one day, I can...never been to Florida, outside of some airports, and the old industiral site and such you mentioned sound just like what I enjoy.
JPitts, Mountville sounds very spooky and cool. There are a few ghost towns even in New England...one is supposed to be cursed, and another in Connecticut is called the Village of Voices...Bera Hack (spelling?)...all that is left are cellar holes, and they say you can hear the voices of the fomer residents if you visit the site, the sounds of wagons, even dogs barking and kids playing. One day, I will go hear for myself.
Dane
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Getting back to the subject of this post, I can say with certainty that Richard Longbow takes his craft seriously, and makes some of the finest primitive bows you will find. The proof is in owning and shooting one of his bows, which obviously none of the critics and jokesters here have done. And, as is the case with many Native Americans, his is a spiritual relationship with the natural world and materials in it.
My bow was the subject of much of the earlier debate here, and that was fine. Agree or disagree with some of the things a bowyer does -- that's okay. But apparently a bowyer has to be part of some kind of Good Ol' Boys Club here to be taken seriously, or to be respected. To make a comment regarding the "spirit" he referred to in his article, is uncalled for.
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I've read the article and the author looks like a very experienced bowyer. I enjoyed the article. I don't guess it matters, speaking as a rookie here, whether you get the rawhide for your backing from a buffalo or a doggie chew....would be interesting to see shark skin or ray skin too for that matter....but I ain't peeing on a bow and if I find out one has been treated in such a manner I'm not handling it...ok? Just a thing I have...although I have read where it was used as a mouth wash back in Merry Ol England.....all I can say is eeeuuuuuuwwwwww.
BTW....has anyone ever used or seen used shark or ray skins? Ray skins were and still are used for handles on Japanese swords.
Dane,
That does sound like a cool place. I remember a place back in my teens where you could hear the soldiers marching down the hill from this cemetery. You could hear the horses and wagons too. You couldn't light a match or bic lighter within the cemetery. Neat place to visit.
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Jimmy.............-I have used shark skins in the past to back bows using hide glue. Have used tiger shark,sand shark, mako, blue an hammerhead. Tiger shark skin rmakes a beautiful backing if you can get a big enough piece so you dont have to use wrappings on the limb. All shark skin is very tough stuff, and btw makes good sandpaper. Have thought about using rays but have never followed through. ;).....bob
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Squirrel, I don't think thats True. This Longbow character is just trying to tell us to do things to our bow wood that have been prooven for years and years to be counter productive and it shows that its counter productive from the pictures of the bow you posted, the limbs are over 2" wide and the bow has 6" of set. Obviously something went wrong there.To be fair I haven't read the new article yet, but the whole soaking your bow in salt water thing still has me scratching my head..... :P
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Squirrel, I'm not going to touch the Richard Longbow thing, however I do take offense to the good old boys club comment.
I didn't know anyone on this site when I started comming here. I only recently met a few of them in person. You ask ANY of the guys who are new to bow building and this site, and you will discover that the incredible bowyers on this site are some of the most gracious people you will ever meet. They are willing to share their knowledge with every new guy that happens along. Many a new guy has been gifted a stave or arrows or some other item to help them get their start. Several guys, George and Mickey, among others have set up websites to help people they don't even know learn the art of building bows. Where I come from that is gracious, kind and generous behavior, NOT the good old boys club that takes care of their own and cares about nobody outside of their circle. Justin
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Very well said Justin. I'm one of the new guys been on here for about six months. Justin is right on all counts.about the friendly giving folks
on this forum. I've been on the recieving end of not only good advice but also a few gifts as well. Without these guys I'd still be making fugly
bows. Also ya can't beat their sense of humor and the good natured ribbing that takes place. All in all PA runs the best forum that I have seen.
The Global Moderators do a awesome job of keeping us rowdies in line. As to the Spirit thing each to their own and if ya wanna pee on yer bow
go right ahead just don't expect folks to accept this practice. Also I believe one of the rules is no religion allowed and a good rule it is as we all know
that differences in Religion is always trouble, look at the world we live in and its easy to see the truth of this. One last thing Richard Longbow needs to lighten up
a bit, having a thick skin is unhealthy and if ya can't laugh at yourself who can you laugh at?
Just My Opinion
Dana
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The proof is in owning and shooting one of his bows, which obviously none of the critics and jokesters here have done. And, as is the case with many Native Americans, his is a spiritual relationship with the natural world and materials in it.
But apparently a bowyer has to be part of some kind of Good Ol' Boys Club here to be taken seriously, or to be respected.
Squirrel, sounds like you're the one who is on the attack here. First of all, I have nothing but respect for spirituality, I can be spiritual myself in my own way, but as has been mentioned, religion is not a topic for discussion. As for the "good ol' boys' club", I think you very much misunderstood the last discussion and saw it as a personal attack, which it wasn't. You are the one calling us all a bunch of critics and jokesters. As I said before, Longbow obviously makes some very good looking, well crafted bows. The reason why most people seemed to be critical of him was because he was making bows with huge amounts of set and claiming that it improved the performance, or that the performance of his bows was magically enhanced beyond the laws of physics by his mystical treatment of them.[/b] I'm not above believing in "good medicine" myself, but if I or anyone else posted a bow on here with 5" of set and claimed that the cast was improved over one without any, I would expect to be called out, too. Not because of a good ol' boy mentality, but because the people here have made thousands of bows, know what works (and what doesn't) through much, much, experimentation and testing and shooting all kinds of bows. My own bows aren't much to look at or shoot, but there are some people on here whose bows hold world records for flight shooting, which is the ultimate measure of a bows cast with all the BS stripped away. If you'll look around a bit, I think you can disprove the good ol' boys club statement pretty easily. There is one excellent bow on this page by a first-time poster that is full of good medicine and spirituality, and I have seen nothing but positive comments about it, and it probably stands a good chance of winning BOM this month.
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These guys are right, this is the most open, welcoming, and generous community in every sense of the word. I was accepted immediately, and will continue to gain far more than I can give back, Squirril. I feel a deep kinship with the folks here from all over the world, because of our shared interest in the ancient craft of archery.
As for spirituality, I haven't set foot in a church in decades (aside from funerals), and I feel strongly the myseries of nature and the materials I work with, on a number of levels, so using Native American spirituality as some sort of shield or vague explanation for (plug in your thing here) doesn't go far with me.
Spend some time here, Squirril. It's pretty nice, really.
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Ok,Ill go one further.Native culture,and religion,were all but wiped out,by our US govt,untill the late 70's.Thats 1970's.It was illegal,for NDN people to practice their ways,and many were imprisoned and killed for such beliefs and actions.Now,you have every tom dick n harry New age culture vulture,in the country,spoutin NDN this,and NDN that.Pay at the Door,inipi cerimonies,and Sundances,with self appointed Wicasa wakans,as advisors.Native people,are flat sick of it and insulted.So when a person comes on to a website,or other forms of public media,,and claims are made,especially,to direct tribal affiliation,they can expect to have their credability checked.If the person,is on the level,then they have no worries,but if not,there are people who have organised a group,that check into these people and their claims.Law siuts are being filed,On the basis of identity theft.Many Nations have rights to their tribal names and customs,and dont take it lightly,that these are used by others,especially,if used for any kind of financial gain.
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I would like to piss on some of my bows if it would improve them. ;D #2 maybe?Nah.I hope to get the new issue soon. See what the hub-bub is all about. BUT , MUCH SET = DOG.Tom B
looking foward to hickory,i'll make coffee,bring spoons.
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Tom,I just reread the article again. No Peeing this time.Just magic dust. Basically if you put an 1/8"of rawhide on your ,looks like at least a 2" wide flat bow,It will increase the performance(his words).Also if you sprinkle bone dust on the bow over the hideglue it will change to super glue qualities and dry in 24 hours.Sounds like fairy dust.Anybody that has read Jim Hamm's books know that mixing bone dust and rawhide scrapings in hide glue helps the quality.As Mr. Longbow says you can't pull it off without removing wood.Hasn't that always been the way good wood glue works?Even without the magical dust?
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Squirrel,
I don't remember if you said you were a bowyer or not. If you are not a bowyer, or perhaps are very new to bowyery, I could see how some of the comments we have made may seem disrespectful or rude. But we are not trying to be so. I've seen some lousy bows posted here (and built more than a couple myself ;D ) by beginners who are learning and looking for advice and I've never heard a forum member attack or tear such a person down. We all remember the struggles of learning to build bows and we love to see new people added to our numbers. This is not an exclusive club by any means.
Now regarding Richard Longbow--it is obvious that he is a fine craftsman with great attention to beauty and detail. No one is arguing that. The problem is that he is a professional bowyer who publishes very unorthodox, unscientific, non-traditional, non-Native-American techniques and claims, without offering any proof or explanation, that his bows are improved by these methods. Intentionally forcing set into otherwise strong wood (like ash) is a practice without precedent among Native Americans (who often sinew-backed bows so they were reflexed, and took great care in the seasoning process).
I don't believe it is ethical for Richard Longbow to sell his bows based on magical performance contrary to the laws of physics. If he were to follow the examples of most responsible researchers in primitive archery, he would publish flight distances or chronograph speeds to prove the advantages of his techniques. Ask any flight shooter here and they'll tell you why he doesn't. His bows will shoot well below average due to their set. There is no way around it. When you string the bow, it's easy to do right? Take one of Ryan's reflexed/recurved bows of the same weight and it would be way harder to string. Tightly wound springs are just springier.
If you do believe that his bows are superior, shoot a 500 grain arrow through your local archery shop's chronograph and give us the results. I'll be the first to apologize if we are wrong.
J. D. Duff
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J.D.,Well said.The other thing that hasn't been mentioned is ;Why hasn't Mr. Longbow rebutted any of this.Obviously he has access to a computer when he submits his articles.And now I'll probally get in trouble,Why is Primitive Archer buying this crap again.
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Richard Longbow does not have internet connections, so he can't rebut any comments here.
Regarding the power of his bows -- mine is not easy to string. It takes some effort -- there is a lot of power and speed in it, as well.
No, I'm not a bowyer, and yes, I'm new to shooting bows. My friend Dave (who is pictured in the article, in camo) is an experienced archer, and has several of Richard Longbow's bows, and they are amazing. At least one is buffalo backed, and he did take a deer with it last year. It will do the job, despite appearances.
And, I'm sure most of y'all are a great bunch of folks, but some of the comments and cracks at the outset of this thread had little to do with the article, and more to do with trashing a guy whose approach to the craft may be a little different. The "spirit" crack is a case in point. Why does PA print his stuff? Maybe because he does offer something different, and worthy of fair and open discussion. Imagine how boring PA would be if everyone agreed with everything said and written, and if every one did things (built bows) exactly the same way.
Finally -- and for the record -- his Lakota name is Itazipa Hanska, or "one who makes bows" -- and he has been making bows since he was a child. He certainly did not take the "Longbow" name from another writer, or anyone else.
Anyway, some good comments and discussion here despite the other stuff.
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This whole discussion makes me think of a fellow on the Leatherwall that supposedly makes horsebows the way his Great Grandfather did on the steps of Bulgaria or the Ukraine (it's kinda hard to tell cause he never exactly says the same thing twice). As somebody that has done some research into asiatic composites I find he seems to be deceiving people to sale bows.
It just saddens me that there would be people out there that make claims, sometimes outlandish, just so they can make a buck. There are things that are known in the archery community by anybody who has done any research into it that should be very common knowledge. Yet sometimes somebody has to break away from convention just to make a name for themselves to make a buck, even though 99% of the proof of physics and the study of archery and bow making is against them.
Just a couple of my thought in general that were brought up reading this thread.
Blake
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Itizipa Hanska,
Is literally translated in English,as Bow long.The way it is spoken in English,is Long bow.In the Lakota launguage,the initial subject,is put first.
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Bob,
That is soooo cool. Do you happen to have pic's of the bow's with shark skin backings? I'd love to see them.
Justin,
I couldn't agree with you more. I've heard crap all my life about being a "Good Ol Boy" or "Red Neck" or "HillBilly" that I don't even pay much attention to that ignorance any more. Heck ...... the Atlanta area has so many northern transplants, you can't swing a cat without hitting one. Gotta drive slap to the mountains or down to Macon to even hear an accent these days. Most of us around here have some mixture of Native American in us too. Mostly Cherokee I guess. Went to Highschool with a guy that was part Miccosoukee and another that was part Chickasaw. The wife even has her Sioux Great Grandmother in a book called "Foxfire # 9" She was just a kid in the pic. My daughter would love to learn more about her but I have no idea how to persue it. Too much info died with the elderly. Sadly we as a nation have lost a lot of treasures due to Manifest Destiny. A lot of Archery knowledge. Anybody ever read the writings from De Soto's travels ? Marvelous stuff.
Dane,
Pappy (my Pappy....scuse me) always said the best way to get an argument started is to mention religion or politics. ;D
I too am a youngster here. I have been bowled over by the most hospitable group I've ever come across. I've learned so much and gained so much confidence from all of you here that I could never repay the kindness. Thank you all. scuse me....Thanks Ya'll
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Hey folks, please try and avoid making comments that may be sound like personal attacks. It's certainly OK to debate the facts and theory but try to do so without calling into question a man's character or integrity.
For all we know Richard may be and probably is one heck of a great guy. Let's keep the discussion respectfull.
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I read the article and its content seemed pretty good. The bow pictured at the end of article also seemed fairly attractive and the set wasn't all that much.I also don't agree that rawhide appreciably approves cast. I don't agree with the religious aspects and I'd be happy to discuss them but not here. I don't agree with everything that I've read in all of the 3 surviving trad mags and I'm sure people don't agree with everything that I have written. That's ok. That's what makes life interesting. :) Jawge
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George, I always appreciate your maturity and wisdom. You are a credit to the community.
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George is right. Lets stick to discussing things that can be measured. Some cannot be proved, but if you can substantiate the claim it is acceptable. Some disagree with Badger's mass formula, others disagree with Marc's heat treating. Both of these guys make incredible bows and can show how their theories work for them. They cannot prove them but can certainly show substantial evidence to support it. Lets leave the "spiritual" part and the personal attacks out and discuss the parts we can substantiate or disprove. Justin
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I read the article and its content seemed pretty good. The bow pictured at the end of article also seemed fairly attractive and the set wasn't all that much.I also don't agree that rawhide appreciably approves cast. I don't agree with the religious aspects and I'd be happy to discuss them but not here. I don't agree with everything that I've read in all of the 3 surviving trad mags and I'm sure people don't agree with everything that I have written. That's ok. That's what makes life interesting. :) Jawge
FWIW, the bow pictured in Longbow's article was mine, while it was being made late last fall. It is the same bow I submitted for Bow of the Month in January, and which stirred quite a lot of commentary. The finished bow had some diamond-shapped designs painted on the buffalo hide backing, which was done by Longbow after these pix were taken.
The bow being shot in the "camo" picture by David Green in the same article being discussed here, also is a buffalo-backed bow, of the same basic design and build, but maybe two inches shorter in length than mine. His is pretty stout -- about a 60- or 65-pound pull, I believe. Mine is a bit less, only because I'm not as strong as Dave, so Longbow tillered it down some.
I can only learn about primitive archery by reading and doing. Bow-making is a subject I'm not well-versed enough in, and therefore not really qualified, to discuss at any length. For me, the enjoyment of shooting the bow, especially out on a stump trail in Maine, or with David, is enough, and this bow does everything I want it to do.
In the most untechnical of terms, I can say the bow shwon being made in the article does shoot smooth, and has a lot more snap than you might think. It is quick, especially in the hands of someone like David, who is way more experienced and practiced than I am. The bow, itself, is light in weight, and perfectly balanced. Yes, it is a piece of art, but functional art, and I have no doubt that if I was a hunter, this bow would be deadly.
While I may not know much about bows, I do know something about guitars (40-plus years of playing them), and very often people focus too much on the minutia and numbers and technical stuff, rather than just enjoying the instrument. If it plays good, feels good, sounds good to the guitarist, that's all that should matter. I see it the same way with my buffalo-backed bow. There probably are a number of valid reasons for it goes against the grain of tried and true bow-making -- but, heck, it works for me, and that's all that matters, at least to me.
But a civil discussion is always welcome, as was th4e case about my bow in January, and as this discussion seems to be now. I do know that I see some pretty nice looking work being cranked out every month by many of the bowmakers who visit here. I would qualify many of these as functional art, as well.
Paul
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Paul, what would be really nice is if you can make it out to some of the primitive events/shoots. Maybe you can let a few guys shoot your bow (make sure they aren't drawing to far before you let them hold it). Then they could judge the performance for themselves. You could also shoot a bunch of other bows. This would give you something to compare the bow too.
As a site with MANY NEWBIES, we get a little excited when we see things that 999 times out of 1000 will decrease the performance to the point we consider the bow ruined. We don't want to attack the bowyer. But we do want to prevent newbies from being missled by information that we think is going to make their bowbuilding experience a bad experience. If you read through the posts you will find many guys asking if the bow they made has to much set to be a viable hunting weapon, it is not just yours we are concerned with. Final weight can be extremely high without performance being there. I guarantee Marc St Louis can make a bow that has 5" of set and draws 60# at 6". It will not cast an arrow very good, so you wont see him doing it. Justin
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For me proof is in the pudding, so to speak. It's why I have and use a chronograph. Helps me determine the performance of my bows. I reserve judgement on the bows Mr. Longbow crafts until someone can put numbers to them that allow me to make useful comparisons.
Paul, is it possible you could take the bow someplace and have the speed of a known weight arrow measured? Perhaps it could be shot for distance with an arrow of known weight, though there are more variables in that approach.
Thanks,
Stan
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Paul,
I would strongly recommend reading the Traditional Bowyers Bible I book. The chapter on bow design and performance will help you understand some the issues experienced bowyers have with Richards assertions. The sister site to PA, www.horsefeathersranch.com (http://www.horsefeathersranch.com) sells the book along with it's other volumes II and III.
If you can't get it let me know and I will gladly loan mine to read.
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Paul, I am sure it is a fine bow. Backing a bow with rawhide is a really common place occurrence though i have never heard of buffalo being used. I would love to meet you at the Pokenhope. Thanks for the kind words, Marvin. Jawge
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Paul, Don't let ol Jawge fool ya into bettin on the 3D course. He looks like he couldn't hit the side of a barn but he'll take your lunch money before you can down a shot of his ouzo :)
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LOL, Marvin. When are we going to get together? I can up to you or vice versa. Meet half way. You name it. May be some turkey hunting and stumps (well mostly stumps). :) Jawge
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I guarantee Marc St Louis can make a bow that has 5" of set and draws 60# at 6". It will not cast an arrow very good, so you wont see him doing it. Justin
Actually Justin I have made bows in the past that picked up 5" of set tillering them out and they shot like demons. Of course they started out with about 10" of reflex :). You are right though, a bow that starts out straight and picks up 5" of set is not likely to shoot very fast.
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I think justin meant 5 in. of string follow,most will take set but if they stand straight or some reflex
they do fine,but 5 in. of string follow,that is another story. :)
Pappy
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Yup I have one of those banana bows, 4" of string follow. Shoots about as fast a banana too ;D
I'm gonna use it for bow fishing so I won't worry if it gets dunked and I can use it for a wading stick also so its not completely useless.
Dana
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I think Justin meant 5 in. of string follow,most will take set but if they stand straight or some reflex
they do fine,but 5 in. of string follow,that is another story. :)
Pappy
Thanks Pappy, you know what I mean. ;D
Mark, most don't start with 10" of reflex, so that one was an exception to the rule to begin with. ;D Justin
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Here's what I think....the spiritual side of bowmaking should be left to the maker, but others might, and some do, rely on the testing of the bows to find whether or not the bow shoots the way it is supposed to. But as said by Squirrel, if the bow shoots well enough for you, and you like the feel of it, the extra set or whatever it is should not be given another thought. All of the bows I used to make had at least 3" of set, if not more. And they shot good enough for me at the time, but they were slower than those I make now, because the set has been reduced a lot.
Sean
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I agree Sean,mine also but you don't do it intentional,I think that was the point not to tell beginning bowyers to do it on purpose,if you just start or don't know any better you will figure it out in time but when you do know better and don't pass it on that is where I have a problem.
I don't have a problem with the spiritual side of anyone,to each there own.I know what I believe
and they can do the same. :)
Pappy
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So now someone name Jawge wants to take my lunch money? What is this place coming to?
Well, a new day, sunny skies, a fresh head ... sheesh, I might start liking "y'all" afterall.
Paul
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Paul,
Ya gots to git that greek arrow flinger liqured up on ouzo before ya head out on the 3d :)
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Squirrel,hang around we do kind of grow on you,everyone here[well almost everyone] means
well some just more opinionated than others. ;D
Pappy
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If my copy of PA would ever come I could read the article in Question :'(
Us opinionated? Now where would you ever get an idear like that Pappy ;) ;D
Stick around Squirrel, Its the place to be eh.
DanaM
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I was talking about me DanaM. :D
Pappy
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Squirrel, you got it all wrong. Drinks are on me! :) Jawge
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Well, alrighty then ...
How can I refuse an offer like that?
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I read the article in the lastest PA. I thought it was pretty good. The only thing that really gave me pause was Richard's assertion that adding rawhide backing will increase a bow's draw weight. I've backed a number of bows with rawhide and have never noticed any appreciable change in draw weight as a result. But maybe there is something different about buffalo hide.
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I read the article today and having done many hide and leather backings, the very first lesson I learned is if you don't stretch the living wee out of the wet hide, or leather before gluing it on, the backing only adds mass to the bow. We know this doesn't make the bow any faster. There is no help other than to keep a splinter down if you do rasp the back of your bow like in the photo. That too isn't needed from what I have learned.. A little rough up with 60 grit will hold it down just fine.
Secondly making claims about performance without chronograph numbers, arrow, draw length and witnesses is a bit absurd..Not to mention the other stuff already taliked about here..
After the first article I naturally had to be a little skeptical since I was a commercial diver for 20 years, and know quite well what happens to wood in salt water. I don't see any of the coastal bowyers running out to repeat this trick. The local indians didn't do any of these practices, and we live a half mile from the beach..go figure ;)
Rich-